Postmarking-machine.



J. REHAK.

POSTMARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 24, 1909,

1,012,158. Patented Dec.19,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

CDLUIAILA PLANOGIAPH 60.,WASHINUTON, n c.

Patented D00. 19, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' coumlu PMNDURAPH 00.,wAsHlNu1'oN. D. C.

J. REHAK.

POSTMABKING MACHINE.

urmornon rum) 1120.24, 1909.

Patented Data 19, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

MBIA puxummpu (10,WASHINGTGN, D. c.

JAMES BEI-IAK, 0F HAWTHORNE, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOR TO TIME MARKING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

POSTMARKING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Application filed December 24, 1909. Serial No. 534,794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES REHAK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hawthorne, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements chines, of which thefollowing is a description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in which correspondingletters of reference in the different figures indicate like parts.

My invention relates to stamp canceling and post-marking machines and myobject is to provide satisfactory feeding means whereby mailpieces maybe controlled and brought into accurate registration with a continuouslyrotating marking die.

Owing to the variation in the character of the mail-pieces, which may bethick or thin, heavy or light, stiff or flimsy, with rough or smoothpaper, as occasion may require, it has heretofore been found impossibleto provide feeding mechanism capable of conveying and presenting them insuccessive order to the marking die so as to insure accurateregistration between the two. Various means have been devised foraccomplishing this purpose, ranging in results rom complete failure toindifferent success. It is my purpose to overcome these difliculties byproviding a novel form of gripping mechanism mounted upon and adapted tobe controlled by the marking die acting in conjunction with a stationaryelement so placed as to engage a cam-like surface upon the grippingdevice in a manner to cause the face of the latter to grip themail-piece and to be moved in a straight line therewith until released;said gripping device being arranged to coact with a supplementalfeedbelt provided with a yielding reinforcing element and a timingfinger actuated by the moving mail-piece to release an impression rollat the instant the printin die is in position to properly contact witthe mailpiece,--al1 of which is hereinafter more are ticularly describedand definitely pointe out in the claims.

In the drawingsFigure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a post-markingmachine embodying the elements of my invention; Fig. 2 is a like viewshowing the coacting parts in different positions, and Fig. 3 is a verinPostmarking Nla-l gical sectional view taken upon the line 3-3,

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a portion of a horizontal tablebeneath which is located the usual driving mechanism and gear trains foractuating and controlling the several parts.

The main feeding mechanism consists of the usual feed rollers 2 and 3mounted upon vertical shafts and provided with a facing 4 of rubber orother frictional material. bent shield 5 extends from the forward orfeeding end of thetable, along and adjacent to the path of the letter toa point slightly beyond the meeting faces of the marking roller 6 andimpression roller 7, which are of the usual type, mounted upon verticalshafts in the ordinary way and form the customary printing couplenormally separated from contact with each other. A retarding roller 8 isarran ed to project through an opening in the s ield 5 into the path ofthe mail piece and is driven in an opposite direction from that of thefeed rollers to prevent more than one letter at a time from entering theletter path. The feed rollers 2 and 3 are driven at a speed conformingto that of the printing die. 'A movable or yielding shield 9 is locatedupon the o posite side of the letter-path from the s ield 5, and ispivotally mounted upon a stud 10 extending upwardly from the table.

A spring 11, bearing against a stud 12 upon the shield 9, serves topress the free end of the latter into the path of the letter. Thisconstruction enables the shield 9 to yield to permit the passage ofmail-pieces of varymg thickness, while pressing against them with ayielding pressure in such a manner as to support the mail-pieces andprevent them from being crumpled if thin and flimsy. Additional lightsprings 13 and 14, respectively, are attached to the shield 5 and areextended into the path of the mailpieces to serve as additional lateralsupports therefor in the manner described.

The upper end of the shaft which drives the impression roller 7 issupported in a bearing 15, *ri idly attached to a yoke 16 bolted to the'ee end of a spring 17, the opposite end of which is rigidly secured tothe frame. Extending upwardly through an opening in the yoke is arock-shaft 18, the lower portion of which has a bearing in the frame.The upper end of said shaft is provided with a flat hardened steel face19, Fig. 2, fitted to bear against a like hardened stud 20, the body ofwhich is tapped into the yoke to provide for ad'ustment, being securedin place by means 0 a set-screw 21. An arm 22 is rigidly attached to therockshaft 18, the movement of which arm serves to oscillate said shaftagainst the action of the spring 17. A hardened metal shoulder 23, uponthe outer end of the arm 22, is adapted to enter a notch 24 formed inthe end of an arm 26, upon the lower end of a shaft 27, having itsbearings in a hollow vertical stud 28, upon the frame. A tripfinger 29is slidably mounted in bearings in a yoke 30 adjustably clamped to theupper end of the shaft 27, said finger being provided with a flat blade31. arranged to extend across the letter-path when the head is in anormal position as shown in Fig. 1. Said finger is adapted to movelongitudinally and is held normally projected, as shown in Fig. 1, bymeans of a light coiled spring 32, adapted to press against aeollar 33serving to limit the action of the spring. A cam 34, Fig. 3, is mountedupon a vertical shaft 35, which is adapted to rotate in harmony with themarking-die. Said cam is adapted to control the action of a frictionroller 36 upon an arm 37 upon the lower end of the shaft 27, indicatedin dotted lines. When the roller is upon the high ortion of the cam thetrip-finger is thereby eld rigidly against movement so as to arrest amail-piece which is advancing out of time with the marking die.

A friction roller 39 upon the arm 22 is adapted to bear against a camaO,Fig. 3, upon the shaft 35, said roller being held in contact with thecam by means of a spring 41. The cam 40 is also timed with themarking-die so as to hold the impression roller away from the markerexcept during the passage of the mail-piece, said impression rollerbeing released an instant after the release of the trip-fi er. The lowparts of the two cams should e substantially opposite and so adjustedthat the roller 36 may ride off from the high part of the cam 34 inadvance of a like movement by the roller 39. In reversing, however, therise-upon the cam 40 should precede that uponthepther. The outwardmovement of thearin22 by the cam 40 serves to rock the shaft 18. againstthe part 20 therebywithdrawing the impression roller against theactio'nof the spring 17.

The roller 36 is caused to press against the face of 'the cam 34 b meansof a coiled spring 38 upon the sha t 27, thereby holding t e arm v 26.in such'a position as to permit the part 23 to enter'the notch -24'andlock the trip finger against premature movement during an instant oftime when such movement would be undesirable.

The body of the feed roller 2 is extended above the part 4, which actsas a feeding surface, sufliciently to provide for the mounting thereonof a raised auxiliary feed-belt 42, which is also trained around aroller 43 journaled upon a stud 44 upon the frame. The lower edge of thebelt 42 is in substantially the same plane as the top of the markingdie, and the belt and die are driven at the same speed.

A metal backing plate 45 has its forward end pivoted upon the stud 10immediately below the shield 9. The upper edge of the plate is upon aline with that of the belt while the lower edge is upon a level withthat of the impression roller 7, said plate being cut away to receivesaid roller. The opposite end of the plate is pivoted at 46 to a link 47having a slot 48 therein, through which is projected a pin 49 upon abracket 50 attached to the frame. The link permits a movement of theplate in one direction while limiting it in another. A fiat spring 51has one end attached to a projection 52 upon the back of the plate bymeans of ascrew 53, while the other end bears against a projection uponthe opposite end of the plate, as shown, being held in place b means ofa stud 54, which is passed throng i an opening in the spring largeenough to permit the requisite play when the spring is flexed. Themiddle portion of the spring is arranged to bear against the part 15 inwhich the impression roller is journaled, so as to press the face of aconsiderable portion of the plate 45 against the back of the belt 42. Itwill be noted that the portion of said plate commencing at the forwardend is cut away or so formed as to stand away from the back of the belt,being brought into contact with it upon the line where the shield 9converges with that of the belt, the purpose of which Wlll behereinafter explained.

Pivoted upon a stud 55 upon the top of the marking roller 6 is agripping cam 56, which is provided with a contact surface 57 adapted toproject beyond the periphery of the marking roller, being limited in itsoutward movement by means of a stop 58 attached to said roller. The camsurface 59 upon the back of the part 56 is adjusted to bear against afriction roller 60 upon the under face of a rigid arm 61 attached to abracket 62 extending upwardly from be neath the frame plate.

The usual inking rollers 63 serve the marking die.

, The operation of said device is as follows: When a nail-piece is fedto the machine it is advanced by the feed rollers 2 and 3 until theforward end is brought into contact with the trip-finger 31 as indicatedin Fig. 1, the intermediate portions of the letter being supportedlaterally by means of the springs 13 and 14 and the belt 42. When theroller to ink 36 rides off from the high portion of the cam 34, thetrip-finger is released, and an instant thereafter the roller 39 ridesoff the high part of the cam 40 which permits the impression roller 7 tobe pressed against the mail-piece by the spring 17. At the same instantthe face 57 of the gripping cam is brought into contact with themail-piece while the marking-die is in a registering position. The camsurface 59 is of such a contour as to cause the gripping face 57 topress the mail-piece against the belt 42 and thence to be moved in astraight line therewith until it reaches the position indicated in Fig.2, when it is released from contact. In the meantime the flat facedportion of the plate 45 is pressed by the spring 51 against the innerface of the belt, so that a relatively large surface of the latter isbrought into frictional contact with the mail-piece, which is therebycarried through with certainty in a way to prevent blurring of the markwhile insuring accurate registration. In the meantime the spring 32 uponthe trip finger permits the latter to yield longitudinally, as indicatedin Fig. 2, thereby enabling it to stand at a very acute angle to theletter path so as to enable it to resume its normal position in theshortest instant of time and be in a position to arrest the nextsucceeding mail-piece.

By placing the belt pulley or roller 43 considerably beyond theimpression roller and utilizing the reinforcin plate 45 behind the beltto act as a buffer or the positively controlled gripping cam, themail-piece may be moved in a straight line during the period requiredfor it to pass the die, thereby insuring uniform pressure upon it andlessening the danger of injury to the mail-piece or to its contents, ifit be a letter, which is liable to occur when it is forced out of thedirect path while under pressure.

Attempts have heretofore been made to utilize an auxiliary belt abovethe level of the marking die in conjunction with a spring controlledgripper upon the die roller, but without means for reinforcing the beltor for causing a continuous positive gripping action while pressing themail piece against a relatively large fiat friction surface. The resulthas been a very objectionable tend ency to tilt the mail piece uponcontact of its forward end with the die so as to cause the mark to be ata considerable angle to its edge instead of parallel therewith as itshould be, which difficulty is overcome by my improvement.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a mail marking machine, the combination with a rotary marking dieand feed-belt, of a feed-cam having one end pivotally mounted upon thetop of the marking die near its periphery while the other end is free,the rear face of said feed-cam having a cam surface adapted to engage astationary roller, a stationary cam-roller eccentric to the axis of themarking die for engaging said cam surface upon each revolution of thedie to cause the free end of said feed cam to move in a substantiallystraight line in the path of a mail-piece to press the latter againstsaid feed-belt during a portion of the cycle of the marking die and aspring-pressed backing extending throughout the length of travel of thefree end of said feed-cam.

2. A mail marking machine in which is combined a feed mechanism, asupplemental feed-belt, a rotary marking die and impression rollercomprising a printing couple, a time-stop, a gripping cam pivotallymounted upon the marking roller, the cam portion thereof being shaped tocause the gripping face of the same to move for a predetermined distancein a substantially straight line parallel to the plane of said belt, astationary cam roller for engaging said cam to cause its gripping faceto press a mailpiece against said belt and a spring-pressed backingelement having a substantially straight face arranged to reinforce thebeltalong the entire path in which said gripping element is caused tomove in alinemcnt therewith.

3. A mail marking machine having in combination a rotary marking die andan impression roller constituting a printing couple, feeding mechanism,an auxiliary feed-belt located above the level of the marking die, aspring-pressed backing element extending in a substantially straightline along sald belt, the axis of said marking die being located in aplane between the ends of said backing element, a gripping cam mountedupon said marking die, and a stationary cam-roller for forcing thegripping face of said cam into the letter path and causing its grippingface to move in a straight line parallel to the belt, and oppose to thepressure of said backing element while in gripping contact with saidmailiece.

4. mail marking machine in which is combined feed mechanism, asupplemental feed-belt, a rotary marking-roll and im ression rollercomprising a printing coup e, a time-stop, a griping cam pivotallymounted upon the marking roller, a stationary camroller for forcing theacting face of said cam against the mail-piece to press the latter aainst said feed-belt and move therewith in a straight line for apredetermined distance, and a substantially straight faced yieldingbacking for said belt to resist the positive pressure of said cam duringthe continuance of its movement in a straight line whereby the grip uponthe mail-piece may be uniform for a predetermined period.

5. A mail marking machine havin in combination a rotary marking die anan impression roller constituting a printing couple, feeding mechanism,an auxiliary feed-belt located above the level of the marking die, aspring-pressed backing element extendin in a straight line along saidbelt, the midd e portion thereof being substantially opposite to saidmarking die, a gripping cam pivotally mounted upon said marking die anda stationary cam roller for positively forcing the active face of saidcam into the letter path and causing said face to move in a straightline parallel to the belt while in gripping contact with the mail-piece.

6. In a mail marking machine, the combination of a rotary marking die,feeding mechanism, an auxiliary feed-belt locatedabove the level of themarking die, a backing-plate having its forward end pivoted to astationary support, said plate being located behind and in contact withthe belt opposite to said marking die, a spring for pressing said plateagainst the back of the belt, a positively acting gripping cam mountedupon said marking die to press mail-pieces against said belt, trippingmechanism, and means for releasing the same synchronously with themovement of the marking die into a printing position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presenceof two-subscribing witnesses, this 22d day of December, 1909.

JAMES REHAK.

Witnesses:

D. H. FLETCHER, CARRIE E. JORDAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

